The Crisscut Diamond: A Brighter Take on Classic Cuts
August Bespoke’s Christina Crisscut Solitaire Ring
The crisscut is one of the most overlooked diamond cuts, which is a shame for anyone who loves clean lines but craves more sparkle. In Singapore, where quiet luxury and timeless shapes lead the way, it deserves a closer look. Here's what makes it special, and how it measures up against the emerald, elongated cushion and radiant cuts you have probably already considered.
What Makes a Crisscut Different
August Bespoke’s Naples Vintage Crisscut Solitaire Ring
The crisscut keeps the elegant, elongated outline of a step cut but rewrites the rules on faceting. Instead of long parallel facets, its facets cross over one another, sometimes as many as 77 in early versions.
That crossed pattern is everything. More facets and more angles mean more surfaces to catch and return light, so the stone reads as brighter and often whiter than its colour grade would suggest.
Two things set it apart:
It sparkles noticeably more than a traditional emerald cut, while keeping those clean, architectural lines.
Its crossed faceting is genuinely difficult to cut, which makes the crisscut rare. You end up with an exclusive stone that very few people will have.
The one thing to know is that the crisscut is a patented specialty rather than a generic shape. It is less commonly found and tends to sit at a premium, so a bespoke approach lets us guide you toward a custom design that captures the look.
How It Compares to the Emerald Cut
Crisscut Diamond (Left) vs. Emerald Cut Diamond (Right)
The emerald is the crisscut's closest relative, the classic step cut with long parallel facets, around 57 of them, and a calm hall-of-mirrors glow. It is pure, timeless and beautifully understated.
The difference is light. Where the emerald shows broad, quiet flashes, the crisscut's crossed facets create livelier sparkle and a whiter face. The emerald also reveals inclusions more openly, so it rewards a higher clarity grade, while the crisscut's busier faceting is a little more forgiving.
Choose the emerald if you love serene, minimalist elegance. Choose the crisscut if you want that same silhouette with more life in it.
How It Compares to the Elongated Cushion
Crisscut Diamond (Left) vs. Cushion Cut Diamond (Right)
The elongated cushion is the romantic of the group, a stretched, pillow-shaped cut with softly rounded corners and a brilliant-cut sparkle. It blends vintage warmth with modern proportions and flatters the finger beautifully.
Their personalities differ. The cushion wears larger for its carat weight and gives a soft, shimmering glow, with a crushed-ice texture that gently masks inclusions. The crisscut looks a touch more compact for the same weight, but rewards you with crisp lines, brighter sparkle and real rarity.
Choose the elongated cushion if you love soft, romantic curves. Choose the crisscut if you prefer sharp, architectural edges with added brightness.
How It Compares to the Radiant Cut
Crisscut Diamond (Left) vs. Radiant Cut Diamond (Right)
The radiant, created in 1977 by Henry Grossbard, is the sparkle specialist. Its full brilliant-cut faceting, around 70 facets, gives intense fire and a crushed-ice texture, and it is very forgiving on clarity.
Here the contrast is texture rather than brightness alone. The radiant scatters light into busy, fiery sparkle, while the crisscut keeps cleaner step-cut lines with a brighter, more open face. The radiant also wears large for its carat weight, while the crisscut trades a little of that face-up size for its rarity and crisp character.
Prefer maximum fire with more flexibility on clarity? The radiant delivers beautifully. Prefer crisp lines with elevated brilliance? The crisscut sits right in between.
How the Crisscut Stacks Up
No cut is better than another. The right one depends on your lifestyle, personality and the story you want your ring to tell.
Is a Crisscut Right for You?
The crisscut suits you well if you:
Love the clean shape of an emerald cut but wish it sparkled more
Want your diamond to look bright and white without chasing the very top colour grade
Like the idea of a cut that few people around you will have
If that sounds like you, we can source and cut a stone to suit, then design the ring around it.
Every ring begins with a conversation. Let's start yours.
